The present invention relates to non-destructive examination, and more particularly, to three-dimensional visualization and analysis for automatic non-destructive examination of solid rotors using ultrasound.
A rotor is a rotating component of a turbine or a generator and its reliability is a major concern to users such as electric utilities. To promote operation safety and prevent potential failures, Non-Destructive Examinations (NDEs) are performed regularly to inspect the integrity of rotors. One of the examinations is boresonic inspection in which ultrasound is used to detect defects and flaws in a rotor.
In a boresonic inspection, defects and flaws, if present in the rotor, are detected using ultrasound and reported as digital data. This digital information is evaluated to determine the size and extent of defects and flaws such as material discontinuities. Performing this determination is not a trivial task and involves engineering know-how as well as experience. However, even with this know-how and experience, many assumptions are typically made and safety factors accounted for in order to make a representative assessment of rotor integrity. As a result, many boresonic inspection systems have a high degree of conservatism in data analysis, causing inaccurate flaw size estimation. Accordingly, a more accurate and user friendly method for boresonic inspection of rotors is desirable.